Julian Slade will always be associated with that lovely, lively musical,
Salad Days. Remember ‘We Said We Wouldn’t Look Back’
and ‘It’s Easy to Sing’ and all those other high-spirited
songs? Well here’s another Julian Slade opus, Follow that Girl.
After an initial run in Bristol, it opened at the Vaudeville
Theatre on 17 March 1960 and ran for 211 performances.
Follow That Girl’s happy-go-lucky story, is about Victoria Gilchrist.
Her parents want her to marry one of two businessmen. She objects and
runs away and is chased by the policeman Tom who falls in love with her.
Romance and marriage follow in the tradition of the best musicals. Tom,
of course, turns out to have ‘true blue’ parentage. On stage,
Victoria was played by Susan
Hampshire and Tom by Peter
Gilmore. Others in the cast were James Cairncross - a prime collaborator
with Slade and Reynolds in their musicals both as a performer and writer
- Patricia Routledge and Robert MacBain.

The Overture sets a happy mood with sunny swing music. The little ensemble
makes a big sound. All the cheery numbers sparkle. I should mention a
few: ‘Tra La La’ flutters along in quick waltz time continuing
the mood of inconsequential gaiety in the usual Slade and Reynolds manner.
‘I’m away’ is a rather twee but charming number about
the effects of love and joie de vivre. Its musical accompaniment’s
opening suggests music-boxes and twittering birds. ‘Life Must Go
On’ allows two ‘fop chappies’ to wax lyrical on sartorial
elegance to Latin Rhythms. ‘Taken for a Ride’ has the ensemble
breathlessly singing about the vicissitudes of travelling across the City
by local transport. The final charming number, ‘Evening in London’,
has the cast bidding a fond, sentimental farewell. The big tune is the
title number with Peter Gilmore falling in love at first sight and determined
to ‘Follow that Girl’ ‘…until he makes her his
wife…’ The whole cast sings with spirit and unaffected enthusiasm.
A bonus track to this CD has a delightful orchestral selection from Follow
that Girl. It’s played by the Michael Collins Orchestra.

Hooray for Daisy, again by Slade and Reynolds, was first produced
at Bristol too. This was followed by a London run at the Lyric Opera House
Hammersmith around Christmas 1960. This recording has a dozen brief numbers
that were squeezed onto two sides of an EP record. The mood of the show
is very much the same. Annette Crosby sings gamely and charmingly but
one gets the impression that it was all a bit of a struggle. ‘Wine
is a Thing’ is a celebration of a tipple. In ‘Personally’
a gentleman tells a lady that he likes her and that ‘…you
are a very pretty sight with the light - behind you…’. These
amuse but really the songs are nothing special.

Follow that Girl is worth following. A sparkling and breezy show.

Ian Lace

Track Listing: Follow That Girl
Overture
Tra La La
I’m Away
Follow That Girl
Solitary Stranger
Life Must Go On
Three Victorian Mermaids
Doh, Ray, Me
Song and Dance
The Chase
Taken for a Ride
Shopping in Kensington
Waiting for Our Daughter
Lovely Meeting You at Last
One, Two, Three, One
Evening in London
Finale With:-
Orchestral selection played by Michael Collins and his Orchestra
Follow That Girl (foxtrot) played by Victor Sylvester & his Orchestra

Hooray for Daisy
She’s Coming on the 4:48
I Feel As If I’d Never Been Away
No Lullaby
How, When and Where
If Only You Needed Me
Nice Day
Madam, Will You Dine?
Wine is a Thing
I’m Sorry
Let’s Do a Duet
Personally
Soft Hoof Shuffle